In view of the tidal surge threat, the State government has finalised a World Bank-funded comprehensive blueprint to protect the vulnerable seaside human settlements from ingress of furious sea waves in Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts.
A Rs 45-crore project under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme (NCRMP) is meant for Kendrapada district while a Rs 19-crore project is ready for implementation in the vulnerable Ersama block of Jagatsinghpur district.
A 16-km coastal embankment is being refurbished to plug the tidal waves in Kendrapada district’s Rajnagar tehsil. In the neighbouring Jagstsinghpur, a 9.6-km-long seawall is being put in place to plug the advancing sea, said a senior engineer of the Saline Irrigation Division.
A team of World Bank experts had inspected the sea-erosion-hit spots in Rajnagar and assessed the gravity of the menace. Experts are of the view that the sea is unsteady in these parts. As a result, 46 villages under Rajnagar tehsil are exposed to the advancing sea. The team would shortly visit the Ersama area to assess the situation, the official said.
The existing embankments would be refurbished in Rajnagar. The department would also put in place a breakwater system of sea wall to plug the marauding sea. The sanctioned funds have been placed with the Special Relief Commissioner. The project would get underway shortly after the tender bidding process, he said.
The strategic Pentha embankment under Brahmanasahi gram panchayat in Kendrapada district is also battered by sea erosion. The Government has decided to adopt geo-tube technology on the embankment to check the erosion. Any serious damage to the Penhta embankment would pave way for sea to spread its wing through several human settlements under Rajnagar tehsil.